Put in place a feedback* and complaints* management system* that encourages and supports workers* to make complaints* and give feedback*.

Make sure your feedback* and complaints* management system* outlines:

• clear and documented processes*, roles and responsibilities* on how feedback* and complaints* from workers* are:
  • received
  • registered and acknowledged
  • recorded
  • investigated
  • responded to
  • managed
  • resolved
  • reported on
  • learnt from to improve care and services.
• how you will encourage and support workers* to provide feedback* and make complaints*. This includes providing access to advocates and external services to support raising and resolving complaints* and feedback*. This also includes offering different ways workers* can share this information with you.
• how you keep feedback* and complaints* confidential, if this is what the worker* wants. This needs to be in line with your information management system* (Outcome 2.7). Make sure:
• workers* do not face retribution because they give feedback* or raise a complaint* 
  • you make efforts to reduce administrative burden
  • you resolve all feedback* and complaints*
  • you identify any patterns or trends.
• how you can escalate feedback* and complaints* in a timely* way
• how you can access information about external complaints* and feedback* mechanisms
• processes* to collect, store, use and disclose any information related to feedback* and complaints* from workers*, with their informed consent*. This needs to be in line with your information management system* (Outcome 2.7).
• how you can provide positive feedback* to encourage and strengthen good practices you observe
• what feedback* or complaints* need to be recorded. Make sure the system* describes any situations where you don’t need to record feedback* or complaints*. For example, if the worker* chooses not to have the feedback* recorded.
• any feedback* or complaints* that you need to respond to. Include:
  • who you should involve in this process*
  • timeframes
  • situations where you need an investigation, such as after an incident* or near miss* (Outcome 2.5).
• how you discuss and resolve complaints*. You should do this in consultation with the worker* who made the complaint*. how you analyse and resolve complaints* and feedback*. Focus on identifying any trends or organisation-wide issues during performance monitoring. For example, aspects of care which aren’t delivered well may suggest that your organisation needs additional worker* training (Outcome 2.3).

The feedback* and complaints* management system* should also provide guidance and information on how to practise open disclosure* (Outcome 2.3) when things go wrong.

Use your feedback* and complaints* management system* to acknowledge, manage and respond to feedback* and complaints* from workers*.

Have mechanisms to give feedback* and make complaints* that work well for workers*. This means that these mechanisms are accessible, prompt and fair for workers*.  These can include:

• formal complaint* and feedback* channels
• the complaints* escalation process*
• anonymous surveys or questionnaires
• feedback* forms
• worker* forums or feedback* panels
• regular individual and/or team meetings
• union representation.

Consider the different ways workers* would like to give feedback* and make complaints*. This can include sharing information verbally, in writing, digitally, openly, confidentially and anonymously. Make sure these options are available within your mechanisms for giving feedback* and making complaints*.
Also, consider the needs and preferences of workers*. Facilitate access to supports such as advocates and services to support raising and resolving complaints* and feedback* during this process*, if they want it.

If you find issues or ways you can improve through this process*, you need to address them. If things go wrong, you need to:

• practise open disclosure* (Outcome 2.3). This means being open about what has gone wrong. Share what went wrong with workers*.
• put in place strategies to mitigate the risk of things going wrong again.

Collect and look for trends in your complaints* and feedback* data from workers* to find organisation-wide issues and ways for the service to improve. Do this as part of your broader performance monitoring activities (Outcome 2.3). Report these outcomes* to the governing body* and workers*.

Have a feedback* register to monitor feedback* and complaints* from workers*

Monitor how well you use the feedback* and complaints* management system* to manage feedback* and complaints* from workers*.

Regularly* review your feedback* and complaints* management system* to make sure it works well for workers*. Look for ways to improve the system*.

To check if you’re managing feedback* and complaints* well, you can review:

• complaints* and feedback*
• incident* information (Outcome 2.5)
• feedback* meeting minutes and records.

You will know things are going well if workers* say that they are confident that:

• their complaints* had been closed out appropriately in a timely* manner
• they feel heard.

The guidance for Outcome 2.3 has more information on monitoring the quality system*.